Midfacial complications of prolonged cocaine snorting. (1/17)

Acute and chronic ingestion of cocaine predisposes the abuser to a wide range of local and systemic complications. This article describes the case of a 38-year-old man whose chronic cocaine snorting resulted in the erosion of the midfacial anatomy and recurrent sinus infections. Previously published case reports specific to this problem are presented, as are the oral, systemic and behavioural effects of cocaine abuse.  (+info)

Cleft lip and palate: a review for dentists. (2/17)

The goals of primary closure of cleft lip and palate include not only re-establishing normal insertions for all of the nasolabial muscles but also restoring the normal position of all the other soft tissues, including the mucocutaneous elements. Conventional surgical wisdom, which recommends waiting until growth is complete before undertaking surgical correction of the postoperative sequelae of primary cheiloplasty, carries with it many disadvantages. If, after primary surgery of the lip, orolabial dysfunctions remain, they will exert their nefarious influences during growth and will themselves lead to long term dentofacial imbalances. These imbalances can significantly influence facial harmony. Unless accurate, symmetric and functional reconstruction of the nasolabial muscles is achieved during the primary surgery, not only will the existing dentoskeletal imbalances be exaggerated, but other deformities will be caused during subsequent growth, among which the most important are nasal obstruction and mouth breathing, reduced translation of the maxilla, dysymmetry of the nose and inability of the patient to symmetrically project the upper lip  (+info)

Van der Woude syndrome: a review. Cardinal signs, epidemiology, associated features, differential diagnosis, expressivity, genetic counselling and treatment. (3/17)

Congenital pits of the lower lip constitute a rare developmental malformation, transmitted by an autosomal dominant mode, with considerable heterogeneity as regards the expression of the disorder. They are present in van der Woude syndrome (VWS), in which clefts of the upper lip and/or palate are often observed. Literature related to the various parameters associated with and relevant to the disorder is extensive. The purpose of this review is to cover, synthesize and categorize the existing knowledge into distinct entities, in order to facilitate understanding of the aetiopathogenesis of the malformation, its clinical manifestations and histological features, the epidemiology of the syndromic situation and the fundamental approach to an integral differential diagnosis. Special emphasis is given to the rationale underlying the treatment modalities that have been suggested, and the necessity for appropriate genetic counselling, as the disorder shows a high affinity with clefts and a familial type of occurrence.  (+info)

Rhinolithiasis as cause of oronasal fistula. (4/17)

Rhinolithiasis is a disease caused by deposition of organic and inorganic compounds in the nasal cavity, leading to unilateral nasal obstruction, fetid rhinorrhea, epistaxis, and it may cause complications. The authors present a case of rhinolithiasis with oronasal fistula and literature review.  (+info)

Loss of permanent mandibular lateral incisor and canine tooth buds through extraoral sinus: report of a case. (5/17)

Extraoral sinus tract may occur as a result of an inflammatory process associated with the necrotic pulp. Several non odontogenic disorders may also produce an extraoral sinus tract, the differential diagnosis of these clinical findings is of prime importance in providing appropriate clinical care. Presented here is a case report of 4 year old female child with extraoral sinus tract through which the tooth buds of mandibular permanent left lateral incisor and mandibular permanent left canine were lost. The extraoral sinus was due to mandibular left primary canine with class IX fracture (Ellis and Davey's classification).  (+info)

Influence of sodium hypochlorite-based irrigants on the susceptibility of intracanal microbiota to biomechanical preparation. (6/17)

This study evaluated the microbiological conditions of root canals, using smears and culture from anterior teeth and premolars with necrotic pulps associated with chronic periapical pathologies, before and after biomechanical preparation (BMP). During double-flared instrumentation, 1, 2.5 and 5% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl)-based irrigants were used in 3 groups: GI (n=39), GII (n=36) and GIII (n=36), respectively. Before BMP, all cultures were positive and the smears showed microbiologically diverse morphotypes, including fusiforms, pleomorphic, rods, cocci and filaments. Quantitatively, 20, 20 and 23 morphotypes were identified in GI, GII and GIII, respectively). After BMP, the percentages of negative cultures in GI, GII and GIII were 74.2%, 86.3% and 93.4% (p>0.05) and the number of morphotypes decreased to 14, 15 and 5, respectively. All teeth with 2 root canals and/or associated fistulas were microbiologically negative after BMP, regardless of irrigant concentration. Gram-negative morphotypes were more susceptible to the action of irrigants. After irrigation with 5% NaOCl, only structural arrangements consisting of Gram-positive cocci and bacilli persisted. Thus, BMP plus 5% NaOCl offered the best antiseptic potential because in the few positive cultures a significant reduction in the number of microbiological morphotypes was also shown (p<0.05).  (+info)

Cleft oronasal fistula: a review of treatment results and a surgical management algorithm proposal. (7/17)

BACKGROUND: Oronasal fistulas (ONF) following cleft palate repair are commonly encountered and remain a challenging problem. With reported recurrence rates between 33% and 37%, this urges us to critically evaluate the current treatment and propose a surgical management protocol. METHODS: A retrospective study of patients treated for ONF by a single surgeon between 1995 and 2005 was performed. Data regarding cleft type, age at palate repair, complications, location and size of fistula, tissue condition, surgical technique employed, and success rate were gathered. RESULTS: There were 64 patients (33 male and 31 female), and 44% of them had bilateral cleft lip and palate. Hypernasality and regurgitation were the major presenting symptoms of these patients with ONF. Fistulas mostly occurred in the hard palate area (53.1%). Severe scarring surrounding the ONF was reported in 31.2% of patients. Local flap and two-flap palatoplasty were the most common techniques (62.5%) used for closure of the ONF. Twenty-five percent of patients needed more than one repair to close the fistula. However, the overall success rate of closure was high (90.5%). Velopharyngeal (VP) function was significantly improved: only 26.8% of patients had adequate VP function before ONF closure and 64.3% patients had adequate VP function after ONF closure. However, the VP function of twenty patients remained inadequate or marginal. CONCLUSIONS: A high success rate was achieved for closure of cleft ONF, although a certain percentage of patients required re-operation. Multiple fistulas and severely scarred palates made closure difficult. Successful closure of a fistula improved VP function but VP surgery was still indicated in certain patients. Based on the findings, an algorithm for management of cleft ONF was proposed.  (+info)

Oral and maxillofacial myiasis associated with epidermoid carcinoma: a case report. (8/17)

Myiasis is a term derived from the Greek word "myia", meaning invasion of vital tissue of humans or other mammals by fly larvae. The deposited eggs develop into larvae, which penetrate deep structures causing adjacent tissue destruction. It is an uncommon clinical condition, being more frequent in underdeveloped countries and hot climate regions, and is associated with poor hygiene, suppurative oral lesions, alcoholism and senility. Its diagnosis is made basically by the presence of larvae. This paper reports a case of oral and maxillofacial myiasis involving 273 larvae in a patient with epidermoid carcinoma without physical or neurological deficiency. The patient's management was antisepsis, larval removal and general care, before death after three months.  (+info)